Mental Health Chapter 1: Ego Defense Mechanisms

Ego Defense Mechanisms

• Compensation

  • Covers weakness by emphasizing desirable traits.
  • Example: A physically handicapped boy excels academically as a substitution for his inability to play football.

• Denial

  • Refusal to acknowledge real situations or associated feelings.
  • Example: A woman compulsively drinks alcohol but fails to recognize her problem.

• Displacement

  • Transference of feelings from a threatening target to a neutral one.
  • Example: A patient angry at their doctor expresses that anger verbally towards a nurse instead.

• Rationalization

  • Making excuses or logical reasons for unacceptable feelings or behaviors.
  • Example: John justifies his drinking by blaming it on stress from his marriage and job.

• Reaction Formation

  • Expresses opposite behaviors or thoughts to prevent unacceptable ones.
  • Example: Jane denounces nursing during career day despite her personal hatred for it, driven by parental pressure.

• Regression

  • Reverting to earlier developmental stages in response to stress.
  • Example: Jay, hospitalized for tonsillitis, returns to drinking from a bottle despite previously using a cup.

• Identification

  • Enhances self-worth by adopting attributes of an admired individual.
  • Example: A rehabilitated teen decides to become a physical therapist inspired by his recovery journey.

• Intellectualization

  • Uses logic and reasoning to avoid expressing emotions related to stress.
  • Example: Susan hides her anxiety about relocating by focusing on the benefits of the move.

• Introjection

  • Incorporates beliefs and values from others into oneself.
  • Example: A child adopts the moral values of their parents and expresses them to peers, stating cheating is wrong.

• Isolation

  • Disconnects thoughts or memories from associated emotions.
  • Example: A young woman recounts a traumatic attack without showing any emotional response.

• Projection

  • Attributes unacceptable feelings or impulses to others.
  • Example: Sue, feeling attraction for her coach, insists he is pursuing her instead.

• Repression

  • Involuntarily blocks unpleasant feelings and experiences from consciousness.
  • Example: An accident survivor has no recollection of the events surrounding the crash.

• Sublimation

  • Channels unacceptable impulses into constructive activities.
  • Example: A mother channels grief into activism against drunk driving after losing her son.

• Suppression

  • Voluntary blocking of uncomfortable feelings or experiences.
  • Example: Scarlett O'Hara postpones dealing with her problems, saying she will think about them later.

• Undoing

  • Symbolically negates an intolerable experience.
  • Example: Joe, feeling guilty for yelling at his wife, buys her flowers as a gesture to reconcile.

Explore the essential ego defense mechanisms outlined in Chapter 1 of Mental Health. This flashcard quiz covers key terms like Compensation and Denial, providing real-life examples to enhance your understanding of these concepts.